Lupita Nyong’o’s Sculpted Hair Makes Her Look Like Royalty

For the Black Panther premiere in Hollywood, celebrities walking the carpet went all out with colorful fashion choices. Lupita Nyong’o stepped it up with a killer beauty look to match her royal purple Atelier Versace gown. Her sculptural hair, in particular, was a showstopper.

Nyong’o’s longtime hair stylist Vernon Francois created the look, which featured a thin gold headband and vertical updo. The actress elaborated on Instagram that the look was an homage to the Fulani hairstyles captured by Nigerian photographer J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere

It’s also reminiscent of the high, tiered style she wore at the 2016 Met Gala, which Nyong’o indicated on her Instagram was inspired by Nina Simone and African hair sculptures after publications called her look an homage to Audrey Hepburn.

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“We aimed to showcase the classic, towering structures which have existed throughout traditional African culture,” Francois told The Fader at the time. “Also, we wanted to demonstrate the versatility of textured hair and this was a great way to do that.”

Doesn’t it make her look downright regal?

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Nyong’o has always made it a point to wear her natural hair in creative ways and be vocal about celebrating its texture. Back in November, she called out Grazia on Instagram for editing her hair to appear shaven on its cover.

“I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too,” she wrote at the time.

“Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfills me as it is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just the way they are,” she continued, “There is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women’s complexion, hair style and texture.”